


Black Smoke Rising

by YumishioriRhul



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Blood, Body Decoration Kink, Bottom!Piers, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, I'm so sorry if I missed a tag, M/M, Other, Phoenix!Piers, Smut, Trans!Piers, dragon!Raihan, or two, top!Raihan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 13:28:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28707426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YumishioriRhul/pseuds/YumishioriRhul
Summary: Piers was once bound down by the Human King known as Rose. He was kept as a prize until Raihan came along and saved him. Time has flown by since that day and Piers has decided he's ready.Ready for what?Well, to finally have a dragon for a mate!
Relationships: Kibana | Raihan/Nezu | Piers
Comments: 3
Kudos: 65





	Black Smoke Rising

**Author's Note:**

> thank you, once again, [Pizzasitter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepizzasitter) for they edited this one shot as well as helped me write it over a course of several months. If not for them, this wouldn't exsist. Please go give their fics some love! <3

Piers never liked to think of himself as vain, but like much of his kind, he could never quite deny his proud ways.

Even when Rose had kept him locked away in a cage, forced to sing for his enjoyment whenever he pleased, Piers had never fully done anything Rose had asked, sometimes leading to being forced into doing them after being ‘nicely asked’. So when Raihan had stolen him away, citing how enamored he was with Piers well…

The phoenix had felt very much in debt to him.

Even so, he wasn’t just going to submit to the towering dragon. In fact, Piers believed that if Raihan  _ really _ wanted him as much as he said he did, he could work for it. And work for it Raihan had, bringing Piers many a pretty thing to decorate his nest that lay in a cave next to the other’s den.

A dragon giving up any treasure to entice a mate was a high honor. Raihan did this for a  _ year _ before Piers finally started returning the courting. He'd started by giving Raihan one of his feathers. He hadn’t been sure at first if Raihan understood the meaning behind doing something like that, until he was given one of Raihan's scales in return.

From there, the courting had progressed faster and now here Piers was, entering Raihan's den while he was out hunting.

Piers knew well the ways of dragons these days, having had much time to read while he'd been locked away, and the firsthand experience that came from living next to one. He  _ knew _ that by stripping himself of his robes and lying on Raihan's gigantic bed, covered in various silk blankets and many pillows, that he was offering himself to Raihan.

Offering to be his mate.

He was…

Well, he supposed the nervousness was to be expected, but when he dipped his fingers down to ghost over his sex, he noted the trepidation certainly wasn’t enough to stop the excitement at the thought of what Raihan would do when he came home.

Right, then.

Time to play the waiting game.

/////

Raihan paused at the entryway of his cavern, braced against the side of the mountain overlooking the territory he'd tended to for nigh on a few thousand years now.

Something was...different, though he wasn't entirely certain what.

He slunk through the tunnel after a moment, eager to be inside where he could settle in among his hoard for a nap after a long day. He'd been in talks with the new King, a treaty signed and sealed now that Rose had been dispensed with. This new one would do right by the people, he could tell, and he thought to get in a quick kip before Piers would inevitably wander to his door and he could tell the phoenix the news.

Thoughts of Piers before a snooze was always the best of ideas, his companion a source of delight to him. Even a year of his courting being denied couldn’t keep his happiness at bay whenever Piers was nearby. Perhaps one day Piers would see how good they'd be together, but Raihan was a dragon first and foremost, and dragons did not rush.

He  _ liked _ being able to prove again and again what a good mate he would be for Piers. Enjoyed being able to share and provide and keep their space nest-worthy with all the riches of the world.

He froze when he entered the vast hall where he slept and found a very different treasure amongst the gold and gems.

Eyes intent on him and draped in silk and nothing else was Piers, his wings relaxed and fanned out like his hair against the pillows. His bare skin made it clear that he'd find more of the same beneath those sheets should he be permitted to remove them.

He moved forward, retaining his massive shape as he came closer, smelling the arousal along his tongue when he flicked it out to gauge whether Piers knew what this looked like.

When he finally stood over the bed, dwarfing it, he let his eyes travel slowly along the form he had been imagining since they'd first met. Down and up and down again, mind already curving around a thousand ways he could please his lover if this was what he  _ hopedwantedneeded _ to be true.

"Piers?" He asked, voice a low rumble, but he couldn't help it. Not when the phoenix was naked in his bed and he could feel the deep burn of fire low in his belly that had nothing to do with the sort he could breathe.

"Tell me what this is," he said, not willing to shift just yet. If it wasn't what he thought, he'd need to stay like this in order to fly as far as he could until he could breathe again without wanting to hold Piers down and make him his. "Before I do something I can't take back."

The moment Raihan entered the hall Piers knew he wouldn’t be able to back down. One look at Raihan told him that his dragon had very much picked up on his offer. He rolled onto his side as Raihan came closer, letting part of the silk slip down his shoulder.

Piers propped himself up on his elbow, his hair pooling under him as he leaned his head towards the bed. Never once did he break eye contact with the dragon, listening as he spoke. He knew Raihan could sense his arousal...could  _ taste _ it probably, and Piers felt the heat coming from Raihan even as the dragon kept himself in place, fighting the instinct to take what was offered.

"I see that ye 'ave quite th' control, Raihan..." He pushed himself to fully sit up then, allowing the silk to fall away from his upper half. "Ye know as well as I do what 'm offerin', my  _ sweet _ dragon." He reached out, talon-tipped fingers gently running over the scales on his snout.

"Ye've worked so  _ hard _ to prove yer worth to me... I want to be yer mate.” He sang the last word, drawing his hands back to himself as he scooted back onto the center of the bed, waiting with silk pooled around his waist and wings folded behind him.

_ Fuck _ , if that wasn't what Raihan had wanted to hear for months. That Piers would gift himself to a dragon was no small thing, and not something he'd be taking for granted.

He needed to do this properly.

He shifted slowly, melting into another form more suitable for holding his mate-to-be. He brushed the back of a clawed hand along Piers' cheek.

"Grant me a boon, then," he said, tracing his fingers down Piers' front. His beautiful phoenix deserved adherence to custom. A last romancing before he was claimed, though not a final romancing in their relationship by any means. Raihan would never get enough of spoiling his beloved. Piers had gone too long without someone to love and dote on him. "Let me make a treasure of you. An outwards reflection of how dearly I'd love to hoard you away as my own until the mountain crumbles around us."

A shiver raced down Piers' spine at the tender caresses left behind by his dearest mate-to-be. He knew this custom, this  _ boon _ as Raihan called it. This was the highest of compliments to a mate, to be asked to be made into a treasure. Piers had expected much from Raihan, but not this much.

His heart swelled at the honor the other wished to bestow upon him. He felt an immense amount of pride at the request, subconsciously fluffing up the patch of feathers that were settled in the center of his chest.

"Ye beyond 'onor me." Piers nodded as he moved the silk away, placing his nudity fully on display. "I grant yer boon, Raihan."

"Mm, give me a minute then. You can't just show off like that and not expect me to bask in such beauty for a quick moment."

Raihan slid his hand down further, lightly scratching at the crease of Piers' thigh before he dipped them between the soft folds of the other's sex. He kept it gentle, mindful of his claws, simply stroking a bit with the pad of his thumb. "You've no idea how badly I've wanted this," he murmured, using his other hand to draw his intended in.

Piers basked in the delicate, sensual touches Raihan gave him. A fire had started to burn its way down to his core, stoked by the searing kiss they shared. Not even dragonfire could out-burn what dwelled in a phoenix. A phoenix would turn itself to ash with how hot it blazed before it lived again. Raihan could feel it against his lips and on his tongue, eager and possessive of that heat. His touches grew slick, his mate sighing, hiking a leg up to ride his fingers a while, until he had no choice but to pull away, or see this through without any of the ceremony and circumstance he wanted to give his lover.

When they parted, it nearly killed him to take his fingers and mouth and body away. To stand and turn to the vast hoard he had amassed, mind racing as he thought about the perfection Piers deserved.

It took all Piers had not to whine at the loss, nearly begging despite his pride. He hadn’t realized his eyes had fluttered closed at some point until he reopened them, watching his darling dragon approach his hoard.

Raihan let his senses guide him to the things he liked most, his favored pieces he'd kept well out of sight. It was more than enough to feel them there until now. Now, he wanted nothing more than to see them pale in comparison to the most precious being in his life.

"Come here, love," he said, laden with finery when he was ready. "Let me decorate you."

This was the part Piers had been unsure about. No book could describe exactly how the bond between a dragon and their hoard quite worked. He had assumed—when he was feeling particularly hopeful that Raihan might find him worthy of the ritual—that it might to Raihan hours to decide what to place upon him, what items to use in his decorating. He was pleasantly surprised with how quickly Raihan chose, slipping off the soft bed and sauntering over to the dragon.

"I've been thinking about this for a long time, what I might like to see you in. And I realized that no one time would ever begin to cover how much I want to make you mine, over and over. I'll do this every day if you'll let me. Put every bit of gold that I have on your body and then go find some more just so I can do it all over again. But for now, I want...I want it to be personal. It won't match, necessarily, though it will still look lovely, but each of these has a story to go with it. Ones that led me to you."

He slipped behind Piers, using his hands to spread the phoenix’s wings wide, kissing his neck. He buried his fingers in the soft feathers at his back, stepping in close to hold him for a moment.

"Wings first," he said quietly, hoping Piers would let him. "I know how you prize them. I'll not put a feather out of place."

Piers had never been the sort to so easily let anyone handle his wings. After years of being locked away, they were as prized to him as his singing. But with Raihan, he felt at ease. He allowed his soon to-be-mate handle his wings, not fighting the intent. He looked at Raihan over his shoulder, before he finally nodded.

"I trust ye with 'em."

Words couldn’t even begin to describe the way Raihan felt being trusted like that.

"Thank you."

He took the silver chains that were studded with thousands of crystals, melded into the delicate metal, and began weaving them carefully through the silky black feathers. He laid kisses to each one as he worked, diligent that none be neglected of his attention.

"I found these on my first flight as a hatchling," he said as he went. "The first use of wings that would one day carry me to you. And when we met, I found yours chained, but with heavy, unworthy metals. Tonight, I will bind you to me, but should I ever be unworthy of that trust, you need only flex your wings to break free of me. I vow to never leave you flightless, or render you unable to go wherever you like. If you stay with me, it will be because you choose to."

The crystals were lovely against the darkness of the feathers they adorned. Unlike the other gems, they were among the most natural of the stones. Their roots, their core, their earth. Simple and not coveted by other dragons, and yet it had always been among his favorite pieces. Now, it was made even more perfect by the one wearing it.

Piers remained still as Raihan worked. He couldn't help how much he puffed up in pride. Did Raihan know how important it was to decorate a mate's wings? That what he'd done inadvertently was something phoenix did as part of their coupling?

To weave such beautiful crystals into his feathers nearly brought Piers to tears. He felt beyond honored by the love that Raihan put into adorning him. And with an early treasure that held sentimental value...

Piers hung on every word that Raihan spoke, locking the promise of freedom in his heart and the story of the treasure in his mind to look back on and enjoy any time he wanted.

He couldn’t stand idly by without a gift in return. Not for something like this.

He hummed, plucking a few feathers that rested over his heart and weaving them together. "I know ye requested the boon of decorating me, an' ye've only jus' started...but I request a small favor in return."

He reached up, talons carefully weaving the three feathers into Raihan's hair right next to one of his pointed, scaled ears.

"Accept any feathers I place upon ye... for they are but a small token for the love ye place upon me."

Raihan took his hand, kissing his palm, heart thundering in his chest.

"I'll keep them with me," he said, touching the feathers lightly. "Nothing in this room surpasses a gift you give me." He hadn’t expected that, and yet he supposed he ought to have. Piers was as generous as he was anything and everything else. Never one to do things with half of himself.

Raihan had always been able to rely on that strength.

"Then I suppose it makes sense to do your hair next, as you've graced mine."

He took a circlet of gold and rubies. Blood red opulence amid the intricate design, strands of them flowing down to rest amid his black and white hair.

"So striking," he whispered, combing his fingers through it. "I took this from the head of a King, long ago. One unworthy of his throne, much like Rose. I had grown to love the people, so I tore down the forces that sought to hurt them. You—above all things—love your people. Willing to be brought low for them, that they would live to fight another day. This crown now rests where it belongs. On one who knows well that the heart of a ruler is meant to  _ be _ its people. And on one who rules my heart, and has never used that power to harm me.”

Piers couldn't help the soft coo that left his lips. He straightened his back, head held high as Raihan placed the circlet on his head. He found himself drawn into the story for the treasure. A king much like Rose was indeed an unworthy king. He had gleefully celebrated the downfall of his captor. Of the man he’d surrendered his freedom to in order to protect his family.

Phoenix of blackened feathers were rare. Piers knew this when he traded himself so his kind could live freely amongst the skies. It was why Rose had even agreed to such a bargain. And why he was chained by his wings to the floor in the middle of the throne room.

Rose's loyal subject were welcome to pluck his feathers if they pleased their king, all while they were granted luck with his forced songs.

Raihan had the right of it. Piers loved his people, and always would. He reached out with his talons to draw Raihan down by one of his horns for a chaste kiss.

"Ye make my 'eart yer 'ome an' keep my fire burnin' strong."

"Nearly as much as you stoke mine," Raihan said cheekily, kissing back and nipping at the other's bottom lip.

He used the proximity to slip two bracelets onto the other's wrists. When he pulled away, it was to loop a series of necklaces around his neck to compliment the family crest Piers always wore on his collar. He finished the torso with a low-slung belt of armor made from his scales.

Plated and impenetrable.

"For both our vanity," he said with a smirk. "No stories to most of these ones. I just really,  _ really _ love to look at you covered in my things.  _ Our _ things, now. But this..." He fingered the belt, tracing the edge. "You are more than capable of taking care of yourself, and I know that. But this is to remind you that I will never let harm befall you. If anything seeks to come for you, it will have to step over my dead body first."

He walked them backwards towards the bed, easing Piers to sit once more before kneeling. He added two ankle cuffs to the mix, kissing the skin just above them, working his way up between soft thighs. He was so very, very tempted to end it there. He needed so badly to lay his claim, to be inside Piers and not let up until they were both an aching, sated mess.

"A dragon kneels for no one," he said, looking up at Piers. "But I would forsake all pride for you. There is nothing of me that is not yours, not even this."

The many treasures he now wore had Piers preening. Had he been in his full phoenix form, all of his feathers would be fluffed up right now, his wings ablaze. His instincts demanded compensation, but there was nothing he could offer in return. Nothing that could equal the words and actions Raihan spoke and performed before him.

Except, perhaps…

It was common knowledge that phoenix could live forever. Turning to ash at the end of their days, only to be reborn again, was their source of immortality. They could never truly die, unless another of their kind pierced their heart.

It was  _ also _ well known that while dragons could live for a long time, they did not live forever.

Piers had no intention of letting that fact stand.

Eyes darkened with lust, watching the way Raihan worshipped him with his gaze, Piers leaned forward and cupped the other’s cheeks. "Dear dragon o' mine... I don’t know if yer done decoratin' me... but I have my own gift I to bestow upon ye if ye want it." His voice was low and soft. The musicality of it was only enhanced by the love he felt.

"I would be lying if I said I didn't want anything you'd give me." His clever dragon.

A slight smirk passed Piers' lips as he trailed his sharp talons gently over the scales on Raihan's cheek.

"I know 'm already givin' myself to ye as a mate, but for all ye've blessed me with, all ye've honored me with...I feel as though I should give back something more practical."

He adored those fathomless eyes.

"Let me share my blood with ye. Give ye the gift o' eternal life. It'll tie mine to yers. I’d be beyond pleased to 'ave ye as a life mate."

Raihan froze, staring at the other.

Forever...as in, really and truly forever. To burn up into nothing and then have the first thing he saw in a new life be Piers...

"I—"

What did one say to something like that?

He laid his forehead on Piers' leg, trying to get himself back under control. He felt like he could conquer the world at the moment. Was a little bit tempted to try.

"I love you," he whispered. He looked back up, letting every bit of emotion show on his face. "Piers, I...you want that, with me?"

Piers carded his talons through Raihan's hair as his beloved seemed to be thinking on his offer. He had to admit that what he wanted wasn't for everyone. It didn’t matter. Even if Raihan declined, or needed more time to decide, he'd still want to be his mate.

"I love ye too, Rai," he laughed softly, "Ye silly dragon, I'd not 'ave offered if I didn't want it with ye."

Raihan nodded, feeling winded at the mere thought of it.

"I know, I know it's just...gods, Piers, I want it so badly. Want you forever, and then forever again."

Living and dying and living again together...

"What do I need to do?"

"Well, there are many ways,” he explained. “Could cut our palms an' hold ‘ands. Could prick my finger an' let ye lick the blood from it. Could even jus' bite me really 'ard while matin'. Since I offered an' ye accepted, all ye 'ave to do is be in contact with my blood."

"In that case…"

Raihan held up a ring, the last of what he'd collected to put on Piers. "I think I like the first option best. Not that I won't definitely be sinking my teeth into that pretty skin of yours," he said with a wink, "But I want the blood to run over this. Every intended in my family has worn it. It's my most precious tie to my history. To everything I have been. It belongs on your hand, because who I become—where I go—it will all be with you. I'm not going it alone anymore."

He used the gem inside it to split his palm open, purposefully keeping his body from healing. Few were the times he had bled in his life, but this was certainly the best of reasons.

He held out his hand to take Piers' in it, closing his fingers around the ring.

As Piers stared at the jewel, he visibly preened. It was beautiful, held so much history to his beloved. To be asked to wear it and use it to extend Raihan's life into eternity…

Piers didn't hesitate, using one of his talons to make the cut before placing his hand in Raihan's, palm to palm.

A slow heat started at the base of the dragon’s spine.

Along the lines of his spirit.

In the core of him, where his fire was kept.

It was nothing but a simmer at first, gentle and pleasant, until it started growing. He choked in a breath when it fanned higher, raging well past anything he had ever experienced before.

He needed, he  _ needed _ —

He let out a roar he couldn't hope to stop, his wings beating hard at his back while he screamed through whatever was making itself at home in him. Pleasure and pain in equal measure, and so fucking  _ good _ through all of it.

He hauled Piers up onto the bed fully with him, pinning him down, panting through another wave of the inferno.

"Piers!" He growled. "Piers, Piers, it feels—"

He gripped the silks beneath them tightly. Leaned down to kiss the place where Piers' heart resided in his chest. His final adornment. A promise that whether it was material wealth, protection, or simply his love, that Piers would never again want for anything.

"Let me bind us," he gasped, reaching between them to feel where Piers was wet and wanting against him. "Please, Piers—"

Piers knew what would happen, knew what he’d set loose in his beloved dragon.

_ His _ dragon.

Never again would Piers be alone. Never again would he wander the land or skies by himself.

_ His, his, his. _

Dragons were not the only possessive creatures in the world.

His hair and wings were fanned out under him as he stared back at the hungry, loving look Raihan was pinning him with. Piers kissed his chest, pet over his cheeks, taking in quick, shallow breaths as Raihan teased his fingers over where Piers wanted him most.

_ Yes, closer. Let me have you. Let me take everything you have to give. _

" _ Yes, _ " he whispered. Begged, really. "Gods  _ yes,  _ Raihan,  _ please _ —"

It was all the dragon needed. He braced himself over Piers, taking his mouth up in a fierce kiss as he sheathed himself fully in one thrust, driving up hard into that sweet, beautiful body like it was the last thing he'd ever do.

Oh gods, so tight and wet and  _ perfect _ .

"Piers," he gasped, pushing claws into monochrome hair to grip him tightly to him. "Piers! Oh fuck, I--"

He could hardly speak, the feeling of finally being inside Piers overwhelming. He wanted to be gentle. Wanted to give Piers sweet words and the attention his body deserved, but he'd pushed himself too far. Right now, there was only  _ heat _ and  _ claim him _ and  _ more _ .

"Feel so good under me," he whispered, bearing down hard to work his way even deeper. He needed to be as close as he could get. He spread the other's legs wide, folding him back to mount him properly.  _ Breed him, take him, he’s yours, he’s— _

"Made for me," he growled, finally satisfied with their position so he could watch Piers' face. "Made to be  _ mine _ ."

Piers hadn't prepared for Raihan to go all out. He’d  _ thought _ he was. He’d known what his offering would do to his darling dragon. Knew the lust frenzy it would send burning through Raihan's veins.

His mother had always reminded him that no matter what, he'd never be prepared when finally faced with the person he wanted to walk the world with. He’d thought it was just her way of scaring him into being careful when choosing a life mate.

This…this was entirely different.

The moment Raihan pushed into him, an electric shiver ran up Piers' spine. Two flints striking against each other to create a spark. Waves of pleasure spread through him, shocking a moan from his throat. He was so caught up in that first feeling of togetherness that he barely registered Raihan's words. He opened his mouth to reply, but his dragon pushing deeper, manhandling him to fold him in half to push even deeper still, the sparks turning into something else.

His eyes fluttered closed as he tried to wrangle the pleasure back into something manageable, letting out a breathy moan. He wanted to speak, wanted to tell Raihan how good it felt to finally be joined, but he was being overwhelmed. Raihan was a firestorm, a force of nature, and Piers could hardly breathe through it.

"S-so deep— _ ah! _ "

He was, he was, and it was  _ everything _ . Raihan’s world was narrowed down to the two of them. To the clench of Piers' body around him and the sounds he made.

He felt like he did when he passed through a hurricane. Crackling energy and wind whipping him up into a frenzy as the water below churned and bubbled. Not even the strongest of waves could douse the fiery heat in him as he laid claim to his mate.

The slick sounds of their lovemaking, the smell of Piers’ pleasure filling his head, the taste of his cries when he sealed his mouth over soft lips.  _ Yes, yes, more of it.  _ He needed _ more. _

Every thrust drove him further towards the edge, and yet he felt like he could do this forever. Would never have his fill of laying his beautiful phoenix out in their bed and connecting them in this way.

Piers’ talons scraped down the dragon’s back, leaving deep scores in his skin. The tips of his wings trembled, the decorations strewn between the feathers making quiet noises that went unheard over his moans and pleas.

"Raihan! Raihan! I…I—!”

"Love you!" Raihan gasped, the fiery burn of claws at his back a benediction. "Above all treasures, I—"

He wasn't going to last, but what did it matter when he could just have Piers again and again, however many times he wanted?

"Come for me, sweetheart," he commanded, needing Piers with him when he found his end.

Piers clung to Raihan, shaking apart as he gasped the broken sounds of Raihan’s name, coming harder than he ever had in his life.

Raihan felt Piers tighten, and he shoved in just that little bit deeper to let Piers’ slick heat around him do the rest, biting at his neck to stifle the roar he’d have unleashed otherwise as he was dragged over the edge.

Fuck,  _ fuck _ , it felt so good. He could feel the bond solidifying, tying them together in spirit just as their bodies were. He could hear the metallic click of metal on his scales, the signs of his courtship on Piers as he brought a hand down between them, fingering the phoenix’s clit.

No, no he wasn’t done yet.

He was going to wring Piers out of every ounce of pleasure that he could, unwilling to let either of them come down until Piers was thoroughly, unmistakably his.

Piers clung to his now-mate. His claws dug into Raihan's hair as he whimpered. He couldn't think, couldn't form words as he writhed from overstimulation.

It wouldn't take Raihan much to get Piers over the edge again. And again. And again.

His whole body shook as he let out little sobs and sounds of pleasure-pain. Another climax ripped through him, and still Raihan was over him, whispering that he’d not stop until Piers couldn’t take anymore.

Well then…that just wouldn’t do. A phoenix’s pride was no laughing matter. He did so love a challenge.

_ Made for me _ , he thought hazily.

Piers’ head fell back, gripping Raihan’s hips to drag him back inside of him.

They would see who needed a rest first.

/////

Raihan didn't know how long they went, only that by the time the inferno had finally banked to embers, his back and arms were a mess of scrapes and cuts, and Piers looked like he'd been through the wringer as well. He gave himself just a moment more, kissing over one of the few patches of Piers' neck that hadn't felt the sting of his teeth yet as he gentled and slowed his thrusts. Careful, careful with his treasure after they had both proven their strength time and again.

His mate could keep up with him without trouble, was the worthiest among beings for him.

"You did so well," he praised breathlessly, his forehead against Piers' when they both came weakly for the last time, nothing more to give. "I love you, I love you so much. I can't believe you're mine."

Piers' body was trembling as he looked into Raihan's eyes, but his soul felt stronger than it ever had. He’d had his share of lovers, but never one who could please him like this. The fire might have died down for now, but Piers' whole body still burned in the best ways. He was never going to have to want for another.

He let out soft trills of happiness. Tired and sated and barely able to think of words, let alone speak. Piers basked in the aches and bruises, his heavy eyes fluttering closed until he finally managed to get ahold of his tongue.

"I luv ye too. With all o' my 'eart an' bein', Rai."

Raihan's heart felt fuller than it ever had, every part of him aglow. Piers had always been able to set his world alight with little more than words. He leaned back, caressing every limb of his phoenix until the trembling stilled, and Piers sighed. He moved along, gently taking off each piece of treasure he had adorned the other with, laying them to the side. All but the ring, which he kissed, along with every claw-tipped finger, and the palm of his phoenix's hand.

When he settled in beside his mate—the thought made him giddy—he stroked circuits up and down the Piers' chest, soothing them both. He could feel the warmth resting just below, his fire to tend and to stoke now.

He drew Piers in close, sighing at the feeling of soft feathers against his skin.

They fell asleep like that, between one breath and the next, Piers' words easing him into dreams.

_ All my heart and being. _


End file.
